by Mary Monroe
“You ought to read Simone’s letter now, in case there’s somethin’ important in it,” Ruby suggested, popping the top off another bottle of beer with the teeth of a bent fork.
Othella shook her head. “I’ll read it when I go home. No, I’ll wait and read it after I have the baby. I know it’s goin’ to be somethin’ gloomy, so I ain’t in no rush.”
“When you write your mama back, tell her I said hi, and tell her to tell my folks I’m doin’ real good,” Ruby said, taking a long drink.
It was the one letter that Othella should have opened right away. Had she done so, it would have made all of the difference in the world to her, and to Ruby.
Simone wrote:
Dear Daughter,
My health is still as bad as it was like I mentioned in my last letter. If I live to see Christmas this year, I will be surprised. In case I don’t, I need to tell you something because it’s too heavy a burden for me to carry with me to my grave.
For years, you been trying to get me to tell you where Ruby’s baby was left off at. Now that the end is near for me, I realize that it was wrong for one mother to deny another woman her motherly rights. Last Friday, I managed to crawl out of my sick bed and drive to Bolton Road in Manchester. That’s where St. Augustine, that asylum home for the displaced and mentally challenged individuals, is located. I did a lot of checking around and it took me all day to get the information I needed. The folks who was in charge when I dropped off Ruby’s baby are no longer there. The folks who are in charge now didn’t want to reveal much information to me about Ruby’s baby. But I didn’t let up. Finally, one of the nicer nuns told me if I went up to the folks in the new wing office they added not too long ago, somebody there might be able to help me. The nun in that office told me that a lot of the original records was destroyed in a tornado some years ago. She told me to talk to her young assistant and she might be able to help me sift through what was left of the records and whatnot. That girl was off somewhere on a mission helping some other nuns feed the poor so I had to go back the next day. I went straight to the office where they told me the girl who might be able to help me worked. When I walked into that office and seen that girl’s face I knew who she was. She was Ruby’s child, all grown up. Oh! She is a beautiful and smart young woman!
But that’s not all. Lord help me! She IS my boy Ike’s child, which makes her your niece. There is no doubt whatsoever about that now. She looks enough like him to be his twin, all the way down to that same cat’s paw footprint mess of freckles on her face like Ike! It was her! I busted out crying and by the time I got the whole story out to her, she was crying, too. We hugged and hugged and hugged, me and my granddaughter. To make a long story short, she wants to meet her mama Ruby as soon as possible on account of she’s about to get married soon and she wants to get to know some of her blood kin. Now I didn’t tell Ike nothing yet. Maxine, that heifer he married, and them nine kids they got, is enough for him to deal with right now. I will not make another move until I hear from Ruby. Show her this letter and we’ll go from there. Ruby’s sweet daughter understands why I did what I did that night and why I thought it was wise to keep this information from Ruby’s folks. But once Ruby gets involved, she can decide what she wants to do about telling her daddy and mama they have another grandchild. This just goes to show that God is good.
By the way, Ruby’s girl was named after the nun whose arms I placed her in the night I dropped her off. That nun’s’s name was Sister Maureen and Maureen is Ruby’s daughter’s name. See, God is good!
Love,
Mother
“Mama Ruby, don’t you think it’s time you wrote a letter to your folks? Or maybe even go visit with them? It’s been so many years, and I am sure they’d love to meet Virgil and see you all growed up and settled,” Othella said, patting her bosom where she had stuck the envelope that contained her mother’s letter. “I know even without readin’ Mama’s letter that she’s goin’ to tell me to tell you to write home.”
“I will. Let me know when you answer your mama’s letter and I’ll slide a note into the same envelope with yours. Simone can give it to my daddy next time she see him.”
Othella looked toward the window with a heavy sigh on her lips. “The welfare woman said that after I have this baby, they’ll increase my check. But I’m goin’ to go back to work in the fields, too, and get paid under the table. That way I can have a little more money each month.”
“And you know you can always count on me when I get a few extra dollars, Othella. Which is more than I can say for that deadbeat ex of yours,” Ruby snickered, glad that the conversation had taken a slight detour. “That extra money you make workin’ in the fields will be a big help to you, praise the Lord.”
“Sure enough. And I can finally buy me a set of them fake foam titties,” Othella said.
Othella would never purchase a pair of those fake foam titties. There would be no letter from Ruby to her family. There would be no cookout and no listening to that new singer Elvis Presley’s record to celebrate the birth of Othella’s latest child. There would soon be no relationship between Ruby and Othella after today.
In less than forty-eight hours, Othella would give birth to her last child and Ruby would finally carry out her threat to kidnap it to make up for the baby she lost. Ironically, she would name that baby Maureen after the madam who had taken them in, the same name of her real daughter.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think that if Ruby’s overly religious parents hadn’t been so strict, she would not have been so promiscuous and eager to be part of Othella’s wild crowd?
2. By hiding her pregnancy for the entire nine months, Ruby jeopardized her own health as well as her baby’s. Do you think she should have told at least one person she was pregnant in case she had some serious complications?
3. Do you think that Ruby should have defied Simone and Othella and kept the baby that she gave birth to at Othella’s party? Do you think that it was wrong for Simone to turn the baby over to that asylum orphanage to keep her from being “shunned” by Ruby’s family and friends for being a “rapist’s” child?
4. If Ruby had kept her baby, do you think her parents would have accepted her story about an escaped convict raping her, and him being the baby’s father?
5. There were several hints along the way that Ruby’s Bible-thumping father, Reverend Upshaw, was a philanderer. Were you surprised when Ruby and Othella caught him in bed with Othella’s mother?
6. Ruby used the knowledge of her father’s affair as leverage against him, so he eagerly allowed her to quit school and move from Shreveport to New Orleans with Othella. Do you think that Reverend Upshaw should have confessed his indiscretion to his wife, and not let Ruby blackmail him into letting her leave home?
7. Once Ruby and Othella made it to New Orleans and couldn’t find a motel room, they got so desperate they trusted a stranger and agreed to spend the night in his residence. But when Glenn Boates tried to force Othella and Ruby into a sexual situation with him, he made it clear that he was not going to take no for an answer. Do you think Ruby’s retaliation, castrating Glenn with her switchblade, was too severe. If so, what do you think she should have done to stop him from assaulting her and Othella?
8. After Ruby and Othella escaped from Glenn Boates, things went from bad to worse for them. Their only choices were to go back home, live on the streets of New Orleans, or work in Miss Maureen’s brothel. Do you think that they should have returned to their parents’ homes?
9. During the time period that this story is set in, it was unacceptable for a black person to “sass” a white person, let alone assault one. Were you glad that Ruby didn’t let that stop her from standing up for herself when she had to deal with hostile whites? Do you think she went too far when she beat up the man who had attacked her and Miss Maureen?
10. Once Othella and Ruby were kicked out of the brothel, they joined a carnival and moved to Florida, and eventually found husbands. T
heir plan was to forget about their sordid pasts as prostitutes and live wholesome lives. Othella’s husband, Eugene, did not treat her well. But Ruby’s husband, Roy, treated her like a queen, until she caught him with another woman. Instead of trying to reason with Ruby when she confronted him, Roy viciously attacked her with his fists—even though she was eight months pregnant. Did Ruby overreact by shooting him with the same gun that he made her carry for protection?
11. During her pregnancy, Ruby had convinced herself that her baby was going to be a girl. She gave birth shortly after she killed her husband. Even though it turned out to be a boy, that didn’t stop her from treating her son, Virgil, like a girl. She dressed him in girl clothes, and styled his long hair in girly ponytails and braids. But the boy was too strong-willed to let his mother’s bizarre behavior affect him. He eventually turned into a very “masculine” little boy anyway. Do you think that if Virgil had continued to allow himself to be raised as a girl, Ruby would not have kidnapped Othella’s last baby?
12. On the day that Othella went into labor at Ruby’s house, Ruby gave Othella a letter from her mother that had been put in Ruby’s mailbox by mistake. This letter contained some crucial information that would have made a huge difference in Ruby’s and Othella’s lives. Unfortunately, Othella delayed reading that letter, and she would regret it for the rest of her life. Did the information in the letter surprise you?
13. In her letter, Simone explained that she had contacted Ruby’s now grown daughter and told her everything regarding her birth, and the girl was anxious to meet her biological mother. Had Othella read the letter in time, Ruby would have known everything she wanted to know about the baby girl that she’d let Simone turn over to the asylum. If Ruby had received that information in time, she could have reunited with her daughter. But because of Ruby’s violent history, volatile personality, and peculiar habits, do you think that Ruby’s daughter was better off not having Ruby in her life?
14. If you have already read The Upper Room (the sequel to this book) and know exactly what Ruby eventually did with Othella’s last baby (and to Othella when she tracked Ruby down twenty-five years later and confronted her), does the reason for the obsession that Ruby had to have a daughter of her own make you feel some sympathy for her?
A Chat with Mary Monroe
Q. Mama Ruby and Othella are spirited, liberal women growing up during the Great Depression. Why did you decide to keep the hardships and racism of the times from affecting their optimism about life?
A. We hear and read so much about how hard it was for black women during the Great Depression. I didn’t want to put too much emphasis on that because it would have changed the tone of the story. Despite the fact that Mama Ruby and Othella experience their share of racism and hardships, they are still young and “naive” enough to be somewhat fearless in a dangerous region during a dangerous time, and to believe in dreams. They are both unrealistic, but they have enough ambition and drive that eventually leads to some level of success.
Q. Mama Ruby was raised by strict religious parents, but she had no reservations about earning money as a prostitute and carrying a weapon. How did you come up with her unique, contradictory character?
A. There are a lot of religious people who know the Bible well enough to find a quote in it that justifies just about anything they want to do. Many people feel that when religion does not meet their needs it’s okay to resort to desperate measures. Like countless others, Mama Ruby relies on religion only when it suits her.
Q. Why did you make finding a husband such an important goal for Mama Ruby and Othella?
A. Having a real career—other than domestic or farm work—was out of reach for a lot of black women back then. Therefore, to lovesick and disillusioned women like Mama Ruby and Othella, landing a husband was a measure of success and the pinnacle of prestige, so naturally it was their ultimate goal.
Q. Mama Ruby is the prequel to The Upper Room, which was your first book. How has your perception of these characters changed over the years?
A. My perception of Mama Ruby and Othella has not changed over the years. However, it’s because of my fans’ reactions and eager acceptance of Mama Ruby and Othella that my perception of my current and future female characters has changed over the years. I gradually began to write about women doing things that the average woman would do only in her dreams. Mama Ruby and Othella were the original Thelma and Louise, and whenever I hear Cyndi Lauper’s hit song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” I think about Mama Ruby and Othella. I know that a lot of women—of all races—would love to have the kind of “take no prisoners” attitude that they had. When I first created these two women, they were strong-willed, frivolous, and independent, and all they wanted in life was to be happy—even if it meant using violence and deception. Unfortunately, it was because they lived by the sword that they “died” by the sword, so to speak.
Q. Mama Ruby and Othella are single and living hand-to-mouth at the end of the story, but they seem content. Did you set out to address the struggles that single women face?
A. I don’t think that you can write a story about single mothers without addressing the struggles they face. That’s another thing that I didn’t want to put too much emphasis on because that was not the story that I wanted to tell. In spite of the many obstacles that Mama Ruby and Othella face, they do get almost everything they ever wanted. They get the excitement, the husbands, and the children. But in the end, they are their own worst enemies. Deception, betrayal, and revenge consume them. They eventually lose the most important thing that they had going: their friendship.
Q. Mama Ruby’s background included other family members who were prone to violence. Was violence in Mama Ruby’s blood, or was she just a woman who decided to get what she wanted using whatever means necessary?
A. Negative personality traits, or “bad seeds” do seem to flourish in some families. But in the cases that I am familiar with, there are just as many positive characteristics in those same families. I think it’s more about choices and what’s going on in a person’s life at the time that determines what he or she chooses to do.
Q. Mama Ruby and Othella always seem to get involved with men who were also involved with other women at the same time—but they put up with it. Are they so afraid of being alone that they accept whatever they can get?
A. As long as the husband is discreet, a lot of wives ignore the obvious and look the other way. Married women during that time had other priorities that didn’t always include their husbands’ fidelity. Because of the weak economy back then, security was more important to some women. If a women got that from her husband, in addition to some affection and children, she had it made. In Mama Ruby’s case, she got it all. However, because of Mama Ruby’s husband’s public betrayal and his violent reaction when she confronted him, she was compelled to react accordingly.
DAFINA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2011 by Mary Monroe
All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Dafina and the Dafina logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number: 2011922117
ISBN: 978-0-7582-7809-8
First Hardcover Printing: June 2011